Drunk Kisses and Morning Afters
by sparky-poo
Summary: Zuko never thought that his duty as a prince includes taking care of drunk ambassadors when they're having relationship issues. And getting vomited on after being kissed by a certain Water Tribe ambassadress.


**Title : Drunk Kisses and Morning Afters**

**Genre : **Romance/Friendship

**Characters : **Zuko, Katara

**Pairings : **Zuko/Katara, Katara/Aang, Mai/Zuko, mentions of Sokka/Suki

**Summary : **Zuko never thought that his duty as a prince includes taking care of drunk ambassadors when they're having relationship issues. And getting vomited on after being kissed by a certain Water Tribe ambassadress.

* * *

_"You're drunk."_

_He had no idea what came over his companion's head for her to drink almost every jug of beer that was passed to them, but he is certain that if the gang were here, Katara- __sweet, motherly Katara- _wouldn't even suggested that they came to the shady tavern in the first place.

"I am." And she took another swig from the bottle- _wait, what happened to the jugs?_

"Stop it." He grabbed one of her hands, and the memories of a waterbending scroll and a necklace came back- _I'll save you from the pirates._

"Stop telling me what to do." She wrenched her hand from his grip- reminding him that she's not the same girl from two years ago that he tied to a tree- she's a strong woman now.

"Aang wouldn't like it if he sees you like this." He tried mentioning the Avatar- _her boyfriend, her young, pure, innocent boyfriend of a monk- _to knock at least some sense into her.

"He's not here, Sparky." Aang's not here- _he's there, on Kyoshi Island, with Coco and her posse- enjoying every attention- she said she was jealous and he laughed- _so she went alone to Fire Nation without him.

"That's enough." He gathered all the bottles and jugs in front of her, throwing them to the bartender- "We're leaving." -and suddenly the band- _is that Lieutenant Jee?-_ started playing.

"No, no- the music just started." She smiled and shrugged his jacket off- _the Fire Lord gave his jacket earlier because he knew his airbending friend wouldn't appreciate it if his girlfriend walked around Fire Nation's most shady areas with that two-piece excuse of an outfit._

The men around them gave her appreciative stares- _they don't know she's the Water Tribe ambasador (and the Avatar's girlfriend) _-and Zuko felt his blood run cold.

"Katara-" He stopped when he fully saw her without his jacket- she's grown- _of course she has, you idiot- it's been two years- she's sixteen and you're nineteen now- _she looks good.

Some girls- _he forgot that today the tavern's showing some inappropriately dressed exotic girls-_ were starting to dance to the music, and Katara never felt freer, lighter, more daring before- so she smirked at her companion- the same Fire Prince that suggested the idea of sneaking away in disguise from the palace to enjoy dinner without some noblemen complaining- and said, "I've got moves, you know."

Zuko hoped that her seductive voice was just an imagination.

He shrugged, tried to remember Mai- _Mai, his girlfriend, his lovely girlfriend who found it amusing to left him for almost a month now with just a letter, saying she was off vacationing with Ty Lee- and yes, he found it ironic- _tried to remember her pale skin and black silky hair and- _wait, where did Katara go?_

While he was distracted, the dark-skinned girl had already made her way from the barstool they were sitting to the center of the crowd, joining the line of girls who were dancing, and- _oh holy crap- _starting to move her body with the music.

There were cheers, catcalls- but the young Fire Prince- _it's a good thing he was wearing his old tunic from the old days, for no one to recognize that he's royalty- _was oblivious to all of them, his eyes glued to the waterbender dancing in the spotlight.

Katara smiled, danced, and her eyes went through the crowd, searching, before finding her friend's eyes as blue met gold, and she beamed in satisfaction when his eyes seemed to be stuck on her moves.

_You're not the only one who loves attention, Aang.._

At the memory of her _(missing) _boyfriend, she frowned, before finally, under the influence of alcohol and dim lights of the tavern, in the middle of many catcalls for her 'performance', she decided- _well, I'm enjoying this- why stop now?_

While in the middle of the audience, Zuko stared in horror when Katara released her hair from its topknot, throwing the ribbon that held it together to the roaring audience- _he noted that most of them are grown, drunk men- _and threw an airkiss at them.

The crowd went wild.

Zuko gaped.

And the rest, like the tales and ballads always said, is history.

* * *

_No, -no, the rest is NOT history- _Zuko thought.

He managed to stop Katara- _who were more of a gibbering mesh of a drunk woman right now that the strong, deadly, waterbending ambassadress she is- _before she takes any of her clothes off- _but they lost both of her hair band and her arm bracelets- _and successfully hauled her out from the tavern.

It was hard enough to dragged her from the dancing girls, but getting both of them out from the "Dancing Dragons" tavern was even harder, as they were caught in the throngs of men who flirted with his friend, asking her to 'came home' with them, silenced only when he, in his own inebriation and exhaustion yelled at them.

One of them stupidly asked, "Who are you, her boyfriend?" and all of them laughed.

He responded with a low growl before letting out his famous breath of fire, which once again silenced the drunk men.

"Right now, yes."

He took one of her hands and slung it over his shoulders, placing his own hand protectively around her body, and with a last warning look, they stormed out.

* * *

They haven't even made it past halfway to the palace when she started blubbering.

"So... dizzy.. Where did all the lights came from?"

Zuko have heard Toph's stories about Sokka's drunk misadventures on cactus juice, and prayed that his sibling won't be a dangerous drunk. At least, until they were back in the palace.

He saw a deserted fountain nearby, and try to walk over there as quickly as he can with a drunk girl at his side, and he set Katara on the edge of the fountain, gathered some water in his hands before splashing them gently at her face, trying to sober her up.

It failed, apparently as the girl suddenly lost her balance and nearly- _hold that- _fell into the fountain.

_We can't enter the palace looking like this._

He thought about sneaking in, but he's a little bit intoxicated himself and she's not in the perfect condition for anything more than sleeping. And if they got caught.. he looked at Katara's disheveled appearance and he knew he looked ragged as well- _better not give all those nobles something to gossip about._

The fire prince looked around, and his eyes settled on a well-kempt-looking inn, glanced again at the waterbender, sighed when she shows no sign of rousing back from her stupor, and finally, after some consideration, put his hand around her body and carried her towards the inn.

_I hope you all understand, uncle, Aang.._

* * *

Fire Lord Iroh sneezed. His nephew and the Water Tribe ambassadress haven't been seen since dinner, and he had a hunch that they were eating outside.

_I hope you're okay, nephew._

"Two rooms for tonight, please."

The old receptionist examined them critically- _please don't recognize us-don't recognize- _"Are you sure you don't want a single room, son? Half the price."

He considered that, and if it was Mai he was carrying, he might order a single room, but this is Katara- his friend, his friend's girlfriend, and he would rather die than sharing a room- much less sharing a bed with her.

"No."

He threw some of his gold coins, signaling the end of their conversation. The receptionist sighed and took two keys out.

"White Jade room and White Dragon room. Second floor."

He nodded.

* * *

They arrived at the White Jade room with no accident, fortunately. After setting her in a sitting position on the bed, Zuko shook Katara's shoulders a little, trying to wake her- she had fallen asleep on the way to the inn.

"Katara."

"Wha.. Sokka?"

"No, it's Zuko."

"Oh. Zuko."

"Come on, wake up. You reek of alcohol- you need to clean up yourself."

"Don't wanna."

"You have to!"

"No!"

They struggled- Zuko tried to pulled her up after he was sure she's awake, to lead her to the bathroom, but Katara protested, trying to stay on the bed as long as possible.

"Come on!" Losing his patience- he pulled her entire body up now, but she's strong- _stronger than usual, or am I too drunk myself? _and held back, pulling his body closer to her own.

He grabbed, she pulled, he tugged and she clawed her way back, his hands on her hips- trying to get her to stand up- and she retaliated, fighting furiously- and they stumbled down to the floor, her body on top of his- one of her hands touching his scar.

"Katara-"

"It's soft."

"What?"

"Your scar. It's soft."

"You touched them before."

"When?"

".. Ba Sing Se?"

"The old days?"

"The old days."

Her fingers rubbed gently against his scar.

"You know, I always thought your scar make you-"

"The face of the-"

"Sexy and mysterious."

Zuko choked. "Did you just call me sexy?"

Katara didn't answer, her fingers were circling lazily on his scar.

"Katara-" he tried to get up- it's time to stop- she's drunk and he did not want anything to happen-

She kissed him.

* * *

Katara didn't realize her surroundings- _it's not Gran-gran's igloo, Toph's estate, nor Appa- _and she heard someone trying to wake her up- _Sokka? No. Zuko.- _but she didn't want to wake up- she just want to sleep- but he pulled her up, so she pulled him down, up, down, up, down- she pushed against him at the last moment- sending them stumbling down to the floor, and she felt something soft against her fingers.

"Katara-"

"It's soft."

"What?"

"Your scar. It's soft."

"You touched them before."

"When?"

".. Ba Sing Se?"

"The old days?"

"The old days."

She remembered the old days of green caves, traitorous princes and a jealous Avatar- _she wished Aang would look at any man like that again- it makes her feel special- _but she had another thought.

"You know, I always thought your scar make you-"

He interrupted her- that made her furious- _she wanted to say something damn it._

"The face of the-"

"Sexy and mysterious."

It was the truth, really. Of all the boys in her life, nothing intrigued her like seeing his scar the first time- it was scary of course, but mysterious too- begging to be asked about the story behind it- and it looked attractive on him- and her head started acting up again, _spinningspinningspinning-_

"Did you just call me sexy?"

She didn't answer, her fingers were circling lazily on his scar- trying to ignore the painful ache in her head-

"Katara-" She frowned, he's starting to get up- she had to stop him- he's warm and she wants to lay on him for a little while- and her head's making her crazy- _stop spinning! _Her body's not strong enough to pin him down- so she did the only thing possible-

She kissed him.

* * *

In their 'manly' talks, Zuko, Sokka, and Aang discussed girls, what they're like and how did it feel kissing them- Sokka said that Suki tastes like fresh Panda Lilies. Zuko, of course said that Mai tastes like her favorite fruit tarts, and Aang- Aang said that Katara tastes like the ocean.

Or strawberries.

Or custard pies.

Or- _oh for Agni's sake it's not important, what's important right now is your friend's girlfriend is kissing you. And you, being such a good friend, didn't do a thing to stop her, _the voice in his head said.

It brought him back to the present, him, on the floor, Katara, on top of him, straddling him, kissing him- _wait, what?_

He broke their kiss, "Katara-"

But she kissed him again as soon as his open his mouth- her tongue slithering inside- she wasn't a good kisser, and she tasted of alcohol- nothing like Aang had said-

_Oh shit._

He tried to stop their kiss- but she held him- and even if he soberly tried, there was something about their kiss- _it wasn't innocent like Jin's or refined like Mai's- _that pulled him and he didn't know what it is- his brain stopped thinking about anything right there- all that registered was Katara and kissing and the heat and-

_"I love her so much." _A young, familiar voice said.

_"__I know one thing I care about. I care about you." _He remembered the beach, another voice..

_Mai? Aang? No-_

"Katara- Katara, stop!"

He actually yelled, and it seemed to scared the girl on top of him- and she looked back at him, blue eyes filled with confusion and- _oh Agni no- _lust.

"You're drunk."

She leaned forward again, "You're drunk too."

"You'll regret this."

She didn't answer.

"Don't do this.. don't do this to Aang."

At her boyfriend's name, she stiffened, and he's glad because maybe she had calmed down- maybe they can forget all of this in the morning- maybe-

She threw up all over his clothes.

"What the- AAAARRGGHH!!"

* * *

One story below, the old receptionist sighed and shook her head.

"Kids these days."

* * *

Prince Zuko of The Fire Nation was tired.

He had taken Katara to the bathroom as soon after his shock ended, forcing her to threw up whatever she wanted to threw up- _not that it mattered, most of it was already on his clothes and they stinks- _and then clean her face with a wet towel, before carrying her bride-style and placed her on the bed.

She passed out as soon as she stopped vomiting, leaving him with the mess.

So he took a shower, washed his clothes as good as he can while still intoxicated- _he almost forgot that he drank alcohol too earlier- _dried his underpants with firebending- _his outer clothes still smells- _and put the inn's robe on to cover his upper body- _it was a cold night._

He came out from the bathroom, saw the bed- and the next thing he remembered was a white pillow before exhaustion claimed him.

* * *

Zuko forgot that he ordered another room.

* * *

**Author's Notes : **I watched Gossip Girl and 27 Dresses earlier today. That's the explanation of this fic.

**I DO NOT OWN A:TLA AND ITS CHARACTERS. Reviews are deeply appreciated!**


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